Clear As A Whistle
by Divagateros
Summary: Joey left Domino long ago and followed Téa across the sea to pursue her future. Although he didn't mean to abandon his old life, things seem to have been left behind in the dust of their departure. One rainy evening after work, Joey comes face-to-face with a piece of his past. Somewhat short story centering on Joey and Kaiba's relationship. JoeyXKaiba NSFW
1. Clean as Day

Joey scrubbed at the coffee stain on the table by the window. His arms ached and he was tired; longing to get home to bed, or at least a little Playstation. His shift had ended ten minutes ago but the stubborn old couple in the corner refused to leave until they finished their greasy salad. Joey slung the tea cloth over his shoulder, glancing at the plastic clock on the bright, gaudy wall. It was past eleven. Back in Domino however, it would be almost dawn, and the city would be slowly waking up to a chilly September morning.

Here, however, in this fast-food restaurant in the back-end middle of nowhere town, Joey waited for his last customers to toss their salad scraps into the bin, and step outside into the rainy night. He pretended to sweep, secretly watching the rain rush down onto the asphalt as they retreated into the night. They ducked under a streetlight and Joey saw the canopy of an umbrella bloom above their heads. Satisfied they were gone, he made to return to his sweeping, but something made him double take, and so he peered through the foggy glass into the night.

Across the gloomy car park stood a tall, shadowy figure, unmistakably clad in a long coat with a wide tail that almost touched the ground. Joey blinked to be sure it was not a trick of the light, as the figure was so hidden as to be almost invisible. Then he saw the streetlight twinkling off the bonnet of a car as the figure moved, and he was sure that someone was there. They began to walk towards the brightly-lit restaurant, so Joey hurried to the door to flip the sign to 'closed'.

As the figure grew nearer and nearer, Joey slowed to a stop with his hand still on the sign. Squinting through the rain-speckled glass, he began to recognise those sharp, shiny black boots; that sweeping coat with its stiff white collar; and finally, those piercing blue eyes.

"How the fuck..?" he whispered, horrified as Seto Kaiba pushed open the door, snapping his umbrella closed as he came across the threshold and into Joey's life.

"Well, Wheeler," he said calmly. "You look pleased to see me."

Joey spluttered unintelligibly for a few moments, watching Kaiba shake his umbrella off onto the greasy floor. He looked… tall, Joey thought, as if his previous height of almost six foot had not been enough during the last three years. His hair was the same: cut into a neat style with an attractive low-hanging fringe that partially concealed his mysterious eyes. He still had his thin frame and long, spindly piano-players fingers. His sharp nose and even sharper eyes followed Joey as he stepped back, attempting to find a little space to steady himself.

"But we're closed," he said, dumbfounded.

It had been three years since he last saw Seto Kaiba. Or any of his friends, except for Téa. The events following the loss of a mutual friend had led him to crave a little distance, so when the opportunity to leave the city had arose, Joey seized it, and joined Téa in her search for herself overseas. Now she attended a prestigious dance school whilst Joey worked in the restaurant. He did not resent, nor regret it, grateful for the chance to earn a modest living for himself. Although the restaurant was a little further out from the town than necessary, Joey liked the bike ride through the country roads and the isolation. Much had changed in him since his duelling days.

But how had Kaiba followed him here? Why was he here after three years? It seemed so surreal, almost like a dream.

"How'd you know where I was?" Joey asked, still flabbergasted. Back in Domino, he had not exactly left with Kaiba on friendly terms, but nor had they hated each other. It was more a mutual toleration that ended with Joey's abrupt disappearance. As for their friendship, Kaiba no longer left a bad taste in Joey's mouth – it had been too long for that – but he was not exactly ready to throw the guy a parade. "I didn't even know you knew I left."

"I didn't," replied Kaiba. "I was not about to chase you around Europe, even if I had known," he continued. "I only found out when you failed to turn up for my most recent tournament. With you and Yugi Motou away it was almost an insultingly easy win."

"I remember that," said Joey, ignoring the vituperative spiel. "I saw something about it in the news. You tore apart the competition. Not the most graceful acceptance speech I've ever heard."

"I'm still the best," Kaiba said.

"And still an asshole," Joey replied. Irritated, he returned to his sweeping. "So how's Mokuba?"

Kaiba folded his arms, affronted at being dismissed like that and answered curtly, "Fine, I put him in charge of updating the old systems. Seemed to suit him best for the time being. Why do you even care?"

"Dunno, just kinda liked your little brother. He had more personality than you, moneybags." Joey turned to face his old adversary, wondering why that life had decided to catch up to him suddenly. "What are you even doing here?" he asked. "How'd ya find me, huh? You wouldn't have bothered without a good reason."

Kaiba opened his mouth but with a frown closed it again. Joey wondered if Kaiba didn't know.

"Well, may as well make yourself comfortable," Joey said with a shrug. "Or clear off. I'm gonna be cleaning for a while before I can leave."

"Are the tables done?" Kaiba asked.

Joey made a show of wiping one with his fingers and pretending to find nothing on them. "Clean as day," he declared.

"Clear," said Kaiba.

"What?"

"The phrase is 'clear as day'. Or 'clean as a whistle'. You got them confused."

"Well, whatever, I did them, so sit if you're gonna."

Joey disappeared through the swinging kitchen door as Kaiba sat down. He could hear the sound of water running and trays being banged together unceremoniously, followed by loud out-of-tune whistling. He perched his laptop carefully on the edge of the table and opened it up.

Aside from work-related notifications to sift through, Kaiba had a few messages from his younger brother trying to reach him.

" _Hey, big bro, I know you're probably busy or got caught up but aren't you supposed to be back today? Did something happen with the flight? Just wanted to make sure everything's okay and if you need me to arrange anything my end to come get you. Mokuba."_

Kaiba exhaled slowly before replying.

" _Everything is fine. Do not worry. I took a detour on my way home. Just make sure that everything is running smoothly and I will return as soon as I can…"_

He wondered how to finish the message. He cracked his fingers once and continued to type.

"… _I found him in England."_


	2. A Stiff One

About half an hour after he had arrived, his back already sore from the hard plastic chair, Kaiba had a headache from the fluorescent lights and was beginning to regret his excursion. Just as he thought this, Joey finally reappeared, tossing a bottle of cleaning spray and a cloth onto the counter. He barked a goodbye to someone in the office and slumped into the seat opposite Kaiba, who tilted his laptop lid down and peered expectantly at Joey.

"I am pooped," was all he said, eyes closed.

Kaiba thought of his aching back, huffed and tucked the laptop away. "Long shift?"

"Too freaking long. Been working for eight days straight as well." He looked towards the office. "Not that anyone's noticed, but whatever, I could use the money."

Kaiba raised his eyebrows but didn't comment. Instead he swept himself off the uncomfortable chair, rolling his shoulders. Once standing, he waited for Joey to finish grumbling and get to his feet before extending a long arm to the door.

"Righto," said Joey, English slang sounding strange coming from his mouth. "Where are we going?"

"You tell me," said Kaiba as they left. "I barely know this area."

The night air was brisk and Joey shivered as they stepped outside, shrugging into his jacket and tucking it around himself. Kaiba, who seemed almost robotic in his general disinterest in the effects of the elements, merely checked the turn up of his collar.

"I don't know about you," said Joey, "but I could do with a stiff one."

"A what?" Kaiba looked audaciously impish.

"A drink," Joey snorted. "You know what I meant. There's a pub down the road from my place if you're up for it."

"Alright, though I have my car." He gestured to the beautiful black machine parked in the spot in the shadow of some trees in a vain attempt to make it less conspicuous.

"True," said Joey. "Well, if worst comes to worst you can always kip at mine and Téa's if you don't mind a sofa bed."

Kaiba pursed his lips. "We'll see."

"Cool," said Joey, swinging on his bike helmet. "Follow me then, but don't drive up my ass."

Kaiba snorted incredulously. "You need to work on your turn-of-phrase."

* * *

Joey parked his bike further up the drive than usual so as to leave room for Kaiba's car and Kaiba managed to squeeze the considerable article into the meagre space. It looked ridiculous next to the battered family vehicles and Joey's dirty bike.

With a swing of his long legs, Kaiba stepped out. He peered up at the tall block of flats as he closed the car door, and with a cocked eyebrow he said, "Doing better for yourself that I thought you would be." He was sincere.

"We get by," Joey said shrugging. "Mind if I shove this in your car for now?" He jiggled the helmet and work bag tucked under his arm. "Can't be bothered taking it upstairs if we're off out."

Kaiba said nothing but held the door open for Joey to throw his things onto the seat. The inside was a deep burgundy leather that filled his nose with a rich, heady scent. Joey thought he might have to persuade Kaiba for a ride.

The door was closed, the lock beeped, and off they set, Joey struggling to match Kaiba's long, easy gait.

"I like that your car does that window wind-up thing automatically," Joey said as they walked, peering back at the shiny vehicle in his driveway. "Never saw one that could do that before. Tris' car you had to wind it up manually every time you got out and pull the front seats forward if you were gonna ride in the back."

"It's a lease," Kaiba said coolly. "But I've enjoyed driving it."

"I'll bet," said Joey.

"The speaker system is excellent."

Joey looked surprised. "You listen to music? I always pictured you as a 'turn that radio off!' kinda guy."

Now it was Kaiba's turn to shrug. It was a curt, spasm of a movement so unlike Joey's easy roll. "Sometimes," said Kaiba. "Or news. Or I make calls. It's useful to have these things if you're driving a lot."

"You've driven a lot here?"

"I didn't see the point in a chauffeur and taxis are a hassle," Kaiba replied. "There's a certain freedom to ferrying oneself."

Joey took a few moments to dissect Kaiba's creative vernacular but he thought he understood. "Yeah, I get you," he said. "You can kinda go anywhere you want if you don't have to rely on anybody.

"But it's kinda nice to know someone's got your back. Being alone can be… uh… lonely."

He blushed. The sentence had trailed off unintelligently.

"I suppose," was all Kaiba said.

Eager to avoid silence falling between them, Joey changed the subject.

"So you know where Yugi is right now?"

Kaiba glanced at Joey to see if this was a trick question but Joey looked sincere.

"I have no idea. Don't you keep in touch?"

"We do," Joey sighed. "But I been busy recently and I may have missed a few messages. I knew he was leaving soon but somehow I didn't manage to contact him. Just wondered if you'd heard anything. Any tournaments or anything?"

"Not that I know of."

"Oh."

Kaiba opened his mouth to say something, perhaps something of comfort, but was interrupted by Joey motioning to a building on his right. The pub's old walls were made of stone and a warm ambient light filtered through the window panes onto the street. Inside was toasty. Both boys shucked their coats and made their way through the building to the bar. A few people shot stares at Kaiba as he walked past, the tall, gangly stranger in the designer ensemble. Some may have even recognised him but like as in many quiet English towns, people were unwilling to make a scene. Kaiba ignored all the attention with haughty indifference as Joey glanced around for an empty table. He spotted a secluded booth.

"Sit down, I'll get you something," he said to Kaiba, pointing to the table. "What're you having?"

"You don't have to pay for-"

"We'll do rounds," Joey insisted. "Now go sit before someone takes it."

Kaiba turned to leave. "Gin," he said over his shoulder.


	3. Search

"So," said Joey, taking a series of graceless gulps, "tell me. What are you doing here?"

When he had returned to the table, Joey had carefully placed the glass on the neatly angled coaster and dropped the bottle of tonic next to it. Kaiba had thanked him and poured the tonic as Joey edged himself into the booth with a grunt and a sigh. In his hand was a tall pint of beer, condensation glittering on the glass.

In the confines of the warm, intimate space between them, Kaiba could no longer very well avoid the question. He traced the edge of his glass idly with a long slim finger, formulating the best response. "I came here on business," he said. There was a hesitation at the end of his sentence and Joey snatched at it like a cat at a loose thread.

"But?" he prompted.

"But that finished two days ago."

"So… what?" said Joey. "Long detour on the way to the airport?" He raised his glass to his lips again, watching Kaiba stare into his drink. There was a very long silence. All of a sudden, Kaiba was looking up and his blue eyes were piercing.

"Something like that."

Joey swallowed funny and almost choked, but managed to supress it. Wiping his eyes in what he hoped was a nonchalant way, he cleared his throat and said,

"Did you… uh… did you come looking for something?"

"For someone."

Joey put down his glass. "For… me?"

All around came the sound of bellowish laughter and the clinking of glasses, the scraping of chairs. In their quiet corner was the subtle squeak of Kaiba's finger on the glass's rim.

"In a way," Kaiba said eventually, and he finally took a sip.

Joey tried very hard not to squirm and took a swig of his beer. He moved his jaw around, searching for a response. All he managed was,

"Um. Why?"

"Things at home are…" Kaiba began, twisting his head to look out the window. The rain had ebbed away since the afternoon but was still making an effort to trickle gently down the glass. He counted the drips with his eyes, thinking. "It's different. The market is still strong but we need an effort to push the Duel Disks overseas. Without you and Yugi advancing sales… not that it's really made a difference of course, Kaiba Corp won't ever fall behind… but you and Yugi created something."

"We all did," remarked Joey.

"And now that you've gone, things are… different. Not as… clear."

"Clear as a whistle," said Joey into his almost empty glass and Kaiba snorted with laughter.

"Idiot."

"That makes sense," Joey said, looking thoughtful. "But I still don't get why you came to find me. Or _how_ you even found me."

Kaiba's face suddenly turned mischievous and he raised his eyebrows, smirking. "That was easy."

"How?"

"I spoke to Tristan."

"What?" Joey spluttered. "When? How?"

"Relax, I just found his number in a directory and called it." Kaiba finished his drink and pushed it to the side. "We spent some time together – some brief time, I'm not impervious to idiocy – and he told me where to find you."

"So you tricked him, you dirty bastard?" Joey growled. "He thinks you're friends now?"

"Hardly," Kaiba snorted. "I paid him."

"Are you serious?" Joey was mortified. "That rat sold me out. I'll kill him."

"He wanted the money for charity efforts," Kaiba said. Joey stared. "He and your sister are starting some awareness campaign for the blind. I agreed to fund him if he helped me. It was a business transaction."

"Wow." Joey sat back, staring at nothing. How did he know so little about his friends? Where had the time gone? "So you helped fund – waitaminute!" He leaned forward, pointing a finger at Kaiba's blank face. "He and my who now?"

"Your… sister?"

"That bastard." Joey sat back.

Kaiba snorted, moving to stand. "My turn for drinks. Same again?"

"Sure." Joey waved a hand, preoccupied in his thoughts and digging for his phone. "I'm gonna give that guy a piece of my mind."

* * *

Later that night, Joey and Kaiba were making their way unsteadily to Joey's flat, Joey's laughter bouncing about the deserted street. His fierce anger at Tristan had dissipated soon after he found he had forgotten to top up the credit on his phone and a glance from Kaiba had been enough to tell him that there was no way he could borrow his sleek smartphone just to yell at his best friend. With no means to vent his anger, he had let it go, returning his attention to his drinks.

"When we get in, I am making crumpets," Joey declared with a slur, swaying so badly he almost tripped on the curb. Kaiba grabbed him by the forearm, swinging him back to upright. "With bacon."

"Is Téa home?" Kaiba asked, grabbing Joey again as he made a lunge for a lamppost.

"Probably," Joey yawned, then came to a sudden stop. "Shit…" he said, patting his pockets, "do I have my wallet?"

"Here," Kaiba replied, waving it in front of him. "I picked it up off the _floor_ when we left. Be more aware of what you're doing."

"I usually am," Joey snapped, snatching the wallet back and tucking it into his trousers. "But you just showed up and got me all confused. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I don't know," said Kaiba, frustrated. "Stop asking me that."

"Then give me a proper answer," said Joey in a sing-song trill, leaning on Kaiba's shoulder obnoxiously.

Joey's big brown eyes swam unfocused over Kaiba's face. A big, sloppy grin was plastered on his jaw and the edge of one wonky tooth could be seen in the untidy gap. He had a strong jaw, and strong, broad shoulders that were slumped against Kaiba, heavy and dense. Thankfully, Kaiba was strong too and could support the weight. He gripped Joey's shoulder firmly to steady him, searching his eyes.

"We're here," was all he said.

Joey swung his head around. The building swam uncomfortably before him. He forced himself to his feet and teetered to the entrance, but Kaiba hesitated, one hand moving towards his car. Joey glanced back.

"I can't let you drive like that, dude," he said. "Come on, it's not that bad in here."

Kaiba threw one last look at the street before following Joey inside.


	4. Reasons

Up two flights of dark stairs and through two locked doors. Kaiba tried to make out his surroundings but the light from the single lamp in the stairway was insufficient and his vision was blurry from the drink. How many had he had? The conversation had been entertaining and he lost track. Suddenly he felt parched.

Finally Joey opened a door with a 7 on it and they stepped into the apartment. Joey turned to Kaiba a pressed a finger to his lips in a 'shh' gesture and indicated the third door down the corridor which was tightly closed. Téa's bedroom, Kaiba guessed.

Joey closed the apartment door carefully and pulled the chain across. He waved for Kaiba to follow him and entered a simple, incapacious kitchen. He indicated for Kaiba to close the door and flicked on the light.

"Urgh." They both stood blinking in the sudden fluorescent brightness. It seemed to help sober Joey up a little. He hoped he wasn't going to be sick.

"There's glasses in that cupboard above the kettle," Joey whispered. Kaiba gratefully poured himself a glass of chilled water from the tap, careful to avoid bumping Joey in the modest space. Joey finally emerged from the cupboard with a little bag of punctured bread rolls. "Want one?" he asked.

Kaiba shook his head, sipping his water with his eyes closed.

They took to the living room, Joey armed with a big plate of crumpets and bacon. Kaiba had watched him cook with a vague expression of surprise. Joey handled the utensils quite skilfully, as if he had been cooking for himself for a while. He wondered if Joey took care of himself often.

"Wanna watch something?" Joey asked as they settled into the sofa. He placed the crumpets on a side cupboard and dug for the remote. "Cartoons? Game channel?"

"Whatever you like," Kaiba said, holding the cold glass to his forehead. Joey watched him with concern.

"We got aspirin," he offered.

"In the morning, thank you."

"Crumpet?"

Kaiba looked down, Joey was offering the plate whilst chewing sloppily on a hot crumpet. Admittedly, now they were cooked to a warm golden-brown, dripping with butter and smothered with perfectly pink bacon, they did look good.

"You are sure?" he said, meeting Joey's eyes. He jostled the plate.

"Sure," he said, swallowing. "I made loads in case you changed your mind. They're really good. Better than bread."

Kaiba took one graciously, attempting to fold the bacon into the crumpet so as to make it easier to eat. The butter squeezed out like water from a j-cloth and dripped everywhere. Kaiba looked irritably into his lap.

"Be prepared," Joey mocked, waving a napkin swiped from the restaurant. They had piles of them around the house. Joey was not a clean eater. "Here."

Kaiba mopped himself clean and began to eat. Joey watched this process with a crumpet halfway to his mouth until Kaiba eventually looked over.

"What?" he said.

"Just checking you're not gonna short circuit or something."

"Wouldn't I have done that earlier with the drinks?" he snorted.

"True," agreed Joey. "Just don't think I've ever seen you be hungry."

"If I can find a way to cure it permanently be assured I will."

"Whoa, really?" Joey was genuinely shocked. "I love eating. It's almost better than sex." He suddenly froze, but Kaiba seemed unconcerned with the crude comparison.

"It's a chore," was all he said.

Joey examined the beautiful haunch of bacon in his greasy fingers before he decided to go deeper.

"What about sex?"

"Huh?"

"Is that a chore?"

Kaiba looked at Joey for a moment before finishing his mouthful and rubbing his hands on the napkin. "I suppose it depends how you look at it," he said finally.

"How do you look at it?"

"Me, personally?"

"For argument's sake."

Kaiba seemed to think for a moment. Then he did that curt shrug again and motioned for more food. "There's work involved," he said simply.

Joey passed the plate over, curiosity tugging at his lips. "Yeah, but isn't that kinda the fun? Like swimming, or rock-climbing?"

"You're just describing exercise," said Kaiba. "Which is basically work."

"But the outcome is fun."

"Or," continued Kaiba, settling in with his arm slung over the back of the sofa, one knee over the other. "Or you're working for a better body, or a climax, but it's all tasks with goals in mind."

"That's so fucking cynical," said Joey with a laugh, mirroring Kaiba's easy pose. "But I can see where that comes from."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Joey searched for a more refined turn-of-phrase. "If you're enjoying yourself then… then it doesn't feel like work. It's just fun. And nice. If it's good."

Kaiba raised his eyebrow again with a half-cocked smile. "You sound as if you know what you're talking about."

Joey wiggled his eyebrows cheekily, keeping the mood light. "I do alright for myself."

"I see."

Joey stopped smiling. There was something in Kaiba's tone that was too sincere and made him squirm. Kaiba remained coolly unconcerned, sipping on his water once more, his eyes soft, his lids low. His lashes were soft and feathery.

Joey coughed uncomfortably and made to stand up with the empty plate. "Well," he said. "I'll get rid of this and then we'll get the couch out." Kaiba merely nodded in agreement.

Joey placed the plate by the sink and braced himself on the counter. Through the reflection in the dark window he could see himself, slightly dishevelled, blonde mop of hair trailing into his eyes. It needed a cut. He tilted his own chin, admiring the five o'clock mess on his jaw. He wasn't unattractive, he thought. Usually he didn't even think about it and people seemed interested in him anyway. He made a lot of one-night-only friends at the restaurant.

This process tonight had been very similar, he thought.

What was Kaiba really doing there?

Back in the living area, Kaiba stood and stretched, glancing over the dimly-lit furniture. There was a good-sized TV in the far corner, and several shelves filled with films, games and Duellist companionships. One, Kaiba noticed, he himself had co-written and his likeness was featured on the cover. He ran a finger down its spine. There was no dust on these books, either they were well kept or read often. The spine on this particular one was heavily creased.

Moving on, Kaiba swept an eye over the shelf and came to rest on a collection of photo frames. Joey and Téa's friends and family. Kaiba himself was in a few of them, looking sullen. There were no pictures of Joey's parents, only his sister. These were dusty and half-hidden behind an armchair.

Also tucked behind the chair, Kaiba spotted a stack of newspaper pages. He glanced back to the kitchen before carefully tugging them free, so as not to tear them. They were disconnected and separately folded, not neatly like a complete newspaper would be. These were pages taken individually from different papers, on different days. Kaiba took them to the lamp to read them.

The most recent page was from Kaiba's latest tournament: his winner's ceremony. There was an article about the tournament and Kaiba's speech but that was it. At a glance, in the photo he looked indifferent, and when he looked closely, tired. With a mordant sniff, Kaiba moved to the next one.

GAME KING MOVES ABROAD FOR DUELLIST ACADEMY TRAINING

YUGI MUTO DOES IT AGAIN: CAN THE KING OF GAMES BE BEATEN?

"WE LOVE YOU YUGI!" GIRLS GROUP PAYS TRIBUTE TO GAME KING

There were so many. A large chunk of the pages were dedicated to the exploits of Yugi as he travelled around and attended events. In every photo he was smiling or looking excited. He seemed genuinely happy. Kaiba caught himself thinking this was nice.

The rest of the pages surprised Kaiba. They were excerpts from magazines about gaming, all articles featuring Kaiba Corp. Some had images of Kaiba himself, others just graphics of his latest equipment. He wasn't sure whether to feel flattered or a little stalked.

The final piece of paper was another newspaper page, this time with Joey on it. A photo taken when he was in Domino, walking towards the camera but looking over his shoulder, an easy smile on his face. Yugi and his friends were waving, catching up but still at a distance. The caption read:

JOEY WHEELER: WHERE IS HE NOW?

Kaiba skim-read the article. A small segment jumped out at him:

' _It seems a shame that hard-working, full-of-life Wheeler has left Domino without saying his goodbyes but we assume he has his reasons. Perhaps when he returns he will recapture the Duelling scene with his familiar charm and pizazz. If you read this, Joey, we wish you luck and Domino misses you!'_

"Téa likes to keep those."

Kaiba jumped. Joey stood leaning against the doorframe with a small smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes. He made his way over and peered at the article Kaiba was reading over his shoulder.

"Yup," he said. "Didn't know I was so incredibly popular. They stopped caring after a while though. Left me to it."

"Media buzz," said Kaiba, carefully refolding the papers and returning them to the back of the chair. "When you first left it would have been big news, would have sold papers."

"Oh, I don't mind," Joey said. "I was just surprised I guess."

"I'm surprised you didn't make a big show of it," Kaiba teased. "All that press. The admirers. Isn't that just you?"

He expected a heated remark but Joey only shrugged. "Didn't see the point, since I was leaving and all."

Kaiba pursed his lips as Joey starting lifting the sofa cushions off the frame, ready to pull out the bed. Joey looked back, realising Kaiba was just staring at him. "You gonna help me or stand there, moneybags?"

Kaiba came forward but made no move to help.

"Didn't you tell anyone you were leaving?"

Joey looked up. "Sure, I told Yugi and his gramps, and Tris and Serenity. Duke and Mai found out though I didn't tell them myself. Some people knew." He shoved a cushion into Kaiba's arms in an attempt to make him help. "Why?"

"So you just left?"

"What was there left for me in that slagheap?"

Kaiba's eyes roamed the room. "A future? In duelling?"

Joey snorted. He gripped the metal bedframe and heaved. Kaiba bent down to help and together they spread it across the living room floor.

"Tristan and Yugi used to stay sometimes," Joey said, explaining the sofa bed and effectively changing the subject at the same time. "It seemed like a good investment. Not been used much recently, though."

He produced some sheets and began to shake them out. Kaiba grabbed them and pulled them from his hands.

"Joey," he said. "What the fuck happened?"

"What?" Joey tried to grab the sheets but Kaiba slipped them behind his back. "I don't know, okay? I just… after the Pharaoh left and everyone finished school it just kinda felt pointless. I didn't feel the same about duelling anymore… about anything. So when Téa said she was leaving for dance school I was like 'hey, that's not a bad idea'. I didn't plan it, I didn't think it through. I just did it. I felt like shit, suffocating in that city. I wasn't moving, I wasn't _doing_ anything. I was just… _there._ Listening to Yugi telling me about all his adventures and shit and I just… _wanted_ something. Something more than what I had. Is that so fucking hard to understand?"

Stunned, Kaiba allowed the sheets to be ripped from his hand and watched as Joey flung them angrily across the mattress. Then he sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head. "But it's different for you. You have your company, your life. You know where it is and what it means. You know what you have to do. It's clear for you. I'm not like that, I never have been. Maybe I don't have a future." He sank onto the bed. Kaiba looked away, twisting the hems of his sleeves until they sat just right. Joey looked down at the spread out sofa bed taking up the majority of his living room floor.

"You still didn't tell me why you were really here, you know," he said.

Kaiba sat down beside him. He steepled his fingers, tapping them together pensively.

"Do you smoke?" he asked.

* * *

A/N: I'm not projecting you're projecting.

Also I miss crumpets. Fuck allergies man


	5. Vice (NSFW)

A/N: Warning - NSFW.

Song: _We Still Got the Taste Dancin' on Our Tongues_ by Wild Beasts.

* * *

Joey looked up. "Not really. It's been a while."

Kaiba dug in his pocket and produced a pack of cigarettes and a slim lighter, an offering. Joey looked around at the rented apartment and sighed again.

"Alright," he said, "but just one, and I'm opening a window."

As they lit up, a cool breeze wafting the curtains apart, the rain softly wetting the edge of the sofa, Kaiba spoke.

"I came here because something was missing," he said. "The last few years have been quiet. Too easy for me. Everything is… smooth. We upped security at the headquarters. No-one tries anything and if they do, they don't get far. Mokuba is busy with his life now. He's older, and independent and who am I to stop him from being brilliant?" He looked proud for a moment. Joey stayed quiet, taking a soft drag to occupy his mouth. "But I get too much time to myself and somehow…" His lips were barely moving, so close together that the sigh he breathed almost whittled into a whistle.

"Somehow I'm always thinking about you."

Joey exhaled his smoke hard. It billowed into the air, fogging the room in trails of grey. Kaiba did not meet Joey's eyes.

"I don't like to think about the past," he said, "but I have been thinking recently about how we used to be. You had me occupied. You had me busy. We caused a stir. And I can't stop thinking about that."

He looked up. Joey was motionless, staring at him through a haze of smoke, one hand on the cigarette to his mouth. He seemed to be struggling to process the conversation. Then all at once he smiled, an easy laugh coming from deep within his chest.

"Sounds like a crush or something like that," he said through a grin.

"Something like that," grunted Kaiba.

The room was warm. The rain pattered softly against the open window and dripped onto the windowsill, marking trails down the wall. Joey and Kaiba gazed at each other for some time. Eventually Kaiba said,

"Did I freak you out?"

Joey smiled again – that warming, bright smile – and fell back onto the mattress, giggles escaping his mouth uncontrollably. Kaiba followed suit, sucking on his cigarette and gazing at the ceiling.

"I wasn't expecting you to tell me the truth, to be honest," he said. "Though I shouldn't be surprised you couldn't resist my charm and witty banter."

Kaiba snorted, "You're about as modest as-"

"As you?"

Kaiba smirked at him. "Two-time loser."

"Don't make me duel you again."

"You could never beat me."

"Only 'cause you're a dirty cheat."

Kaiba considered rising to this but thought better of it. They were clearly in different places now.

Joey looked over. Kaiba's soft brown hair was attractively tousled from him running his hands through it, his eyes half shut, long lashes flickering so subtly Joey could barely see it. Below his long, clean nose, his thin lips held the rapidly burning end of his cigarette. One hand came up to hold it, and as he took a long pull, Joey watched his chest rise, tugging delicately against his thin black sweater. Then Kaiba exhaled the smoke. It drifted out in a lazy plume, billowing out across the ceiling. Joey could do nothing but stare. Kaiba finally opened his eyes, catching Joey's awestruck gaze.

"What?" he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

The words battered about in Joey's head and tumbled inarticulately out of his mouth,

"You look so fucking good right now."

Suddenly Kaiba was leaning up on one arm, cigarette perched between his lips. "Really?"

Joey could barely meet his eyes. "As if you don't know."

Kaiba examined his face for a moment, taking in the flush spreading out against his cheeks. He plucked the cigarette from Joey's immobile fingers and set them to fizzle out in his glass of water. When he returned, he was closer, leaning on one arm. Slowly, he brought the other hand forward to play with the tips of Joey's blonde hair. Joey closed his eyes, chest tight in the agony of anticipation.

Sure enough, there was a pause where only the sound of his own quick breathing and the rain pattering against the glass could be heard, and then he felt the tingling of soft, wet lips brush against his own. Gradually, he parted them open. Kaiba was moving ever so slowly, barely touching Joey's lips at all, and his breath was hot, imbued with the acrid tang of alcohol. Joey realised Kaiba couldn't be sure of his reaction, so he lifted his head a little, finding better purchase, and turned it into a proper kiss.

Kaiba seemed to be relieved. He became more passionate, matching Joey's pressure and finding a comfortable rhythm. He twisted his free hand through Joey's hair and held his head gently which sent little tingles of pleasure down Joey's spine. He felt himself smiling, but Kaiba's kisses were insistent and he was soon distracted. Not to be outdone, Joey wound his arms around Kaiba's back but was unsure of where to move them next so he just left them there, a little uselessly.

Kaiba's weight was resting on Joey now. His chest was dense and warm. Joey found himself moving his hands around Kaiba's back, feeling his muscles move with the rhythm of his kisses. Kaiba took his lips down Joey's jaw to suckle his neck.

Joey had kissed a guy once before on a drunken sloppy dare, but it had felt nothing like this. His head was spinning, his nerves tingling and alight. He felt the pressure of Kaiba's chest and his leg, as he realised Kaiba was making to move on top of him. The places Kaiba touched were so warm. Soon he would be too warm and he would have to…

Kaiba made a motion like a roll and the bodyweight on Joey's chest increased. He was lying almost fully on top of Joey now, both hands in Joey's hair, kisses so intense they might leave bruises all over his lips, his jaw and neck. Joey was kissing back just as desperately, but he was so warm now.

He managed to get a grip on Kaiba's shoulders and push him back. A look of confusion flashed across Kaiba's face before Joey gripped the bottom of his work shirt and hoisted it over his head, wriggling free. The air was mercifully cool on his naked chest. Kaiba was leaning over him, both hands braced on the bed frame as if he had just finished a push up, but in the change of pace he seemed to have shut down. Joey experimentally lifted the bottom of Kaiba's sweater and tugged it upwards. This seemed to register and Kaiba sat up, shirking the sweater in one deft motion.

He came back down, kissing Joey's throat and rubbing his warm hands down Joey's chest. Joey was so hard now it seemed stupid to try and deny it. He encouraged Kaiba to press himself into Joey's body with his arms and Kaiba relented, pushing the front of their trousers together as the main point of contact. Joey gasped as Kaiba began to grind. He could feel the sweat gathering on his back, the tightness in his belly and Kaiba's hot breath against his ear as he rubbed their aching bodies together.

Eventually Joey could stand it no longer, he reached down and ripped his fly open, shucking his trousers down as far as he could reach, exposing himself to the air and to Kaiba. He didn't have time to feel embarrassed. Kaiba did the same, awkwardly fumbling with one hand on his waistband, the other gripping the mattress. Finally they were both free and the contact returned. This time Joey's voice actually cut through the quiet as Kaiba resumed thrusting, holding them together with one free hand.

"Ah!"

Joey gripped Kaiba's hair, stroking his face. Kaiba's brow was furrowed, eyes hazy with lust. His gaze was unfocused, yet so intense it was gouging. Joey, deep in the throes, pulled him in for a kiss and Kaiba lost his balance, throwing out both arms to brace himself on the mattress. Now there was nothing to keep them in check and so much friction that both boys lost their heads.

Kaiba thrust hard against Joey, biting into his neck and shoulders. Joey matched his rhythm, his breathing so ragged it filled the room. Kaiba was making noise too; low, inelegant grunts punctuated his rapid thrusts, only just loud enough for Joey to hear right next to his ear. An orgasm began to coil in Joey's groin, tight and fast. He slapped Kaiba's shoulder a couple times in warning.

"Oh God, I'm gonna… I'm…"

Kaiba shot forward, kissing Joey with gusto, his tongue deep in Joey's mouth. Joey grabbed Kaiba by the back of the neck, ramming his crotch into Kaiba's so vigorously it was audible. Then he came, rollicking around the bend so hard that if he was a train he would have tipped right off the rails. He felt water leak from the corner of his eyes and his vision blurred. He could barely even gasp around Kaiba's kisses, let alone speak.

He rolled forward a few more times and let his head fall back. Kaiba hadn't finished, but Joey gripped his hair and returned his kisses until he did. It was funny, Joey thought. He said something that sounded like 'Nurhg' and wrapped his lips around Joey's exposed throat when he came.

Kaiba lay on top for a few moments, resting his head in the space between Joey's head and shoulder. His breathing was deep and heavy. Eventually he lifted himself up and rolled away. There was quite a mess.

"So," panted Joey eventually, a grin forming on his face. "Was that a chore?"

Seto laughed breathlessly and Joey couldn't help but chuckle with him.

Joey sat up, looking down at their abdomens glistening with the evidence of their endeavour.

"I, uh, I'm gonna go get a tissue."

"Right."

Joey hoisted himself up, legs trembling badly, and pulled his trousers back into position, ignoring the uncomfortable wet feeling. He peeked out into the corridor to make sure the coast was clear before making his way to the bathroom.

He made a face at himself in the mirror as he washed his hands but otherwise refused to compartmentalise what had just happened. For now, he would let it be what it was. Whatever that was exactly.

He took a roll of paper into the living room and they cleaned themselves up, not speaking. Joey offered the bin and Kaiba tossed his tissues away, before regaining his pants and some composure.

Joey paused awkwardly by the bed, looking at the sheets crumpled on the floor. He sighed.

"I dunno about you but I can't be bothered to sort this out anymore. You wanna just stay with me?"

In answer, Kaiba gathered himself up and followed Joey to his bedroom. It was modest, but comfortable, like the rest of the flat, but Kaiba gratefully noticed the double bed and thick blankets.

Joey hesitated before taking off his boxers.

"I suppose you don't mind if I sleep without clothes?" he said.

"Seems pretty redundant now," replied Kaiba through a yawn.

Joey made a straightforward noise of agreement and undressed. They climbed in, both undeniably exhausted, but equally sleepless.

Joey rolled to face the wall, finally without obstacles, free to think about what had happened. He was surprised at himself, even through the fog of alcohol. So this is what he was capable of. It seemed foreign and scary, but it had felt good.

He rolled back over. Kaiba's eyes were barely open. He looked extraordinarily peaceful.

And so without touching, but in the comfort of good sex and companionship, they slept.


	6. Coffee

Yawning widely and clutching a cup of herbal tea, Joey's sleep-crippled roommate plodded into the living room and clouted her shin on the metal frame of the extended sofa bed.

The open window had been letting in a chilly breeze all morning so, shivering, and eyes barely open, Téa had dragged herself from the frigid kitchen to the living room window and almost amputated herself on the way to close it. Cursing, tea dripping onto the floor, she sat down to rub her knee vigorously, checking for a scrape.

"Stupid bed," she said, slapping the mattress. The bed seemed unperturbed. She smoothed away the impression her hand had left and began to wonder why Joey had dragged it out in the first place. The thought made her a little sad. It had been so long since anyone had slept there.

She stood up, and that's when she spotted it: a lone, tall glass with only about an inch of water in the bottom. In the water floated two half-smoked cigarettes. She looked to the open window and put two-and-two together.

Who had stayed with Joey last night?

Standing up, she scooted around the bed to finally close the window, but she stopped dead with her fingers on the handle, mouth open.

 _That car._

Téa did not know much about motoring but she could appreciate a luxury vehicle when she saw one. It was beautifully curvaceous, sleek, black; the dew on the bonnet sparkling in the watery morning sunshine. She slowly pulled the window closed.

Someone had definitely stayed last night. There was no way anyone in this building could afford a car like that in a million years. There was only one person she could think of that could possibly drive a thing like that but she could not imagine what he would be doing in England, let alone in Joey's room all night.

It was just as this thought was waved away that a stiff, curt voice cut through the quiet so suddenly that she jumped and almost spilt her tea a second time.

"Ahem. Good morning."

* * *

Seto Kaiba had awoken to the sound of crowing.

This was most strange, as he could not recall ever hearing chickens outside his bedroom window. He was fairly sure the groundskeeper would have kept a tab on something like that. Then he opened his eyes and remembered where he was. Leaning up on one arm and rubbing his face with the other, he took in his surroundings.

Joey's room was bathed in cool, yellow light filtering through the drawn curtains. His few possessions were stacked untidily on shelves around the room and a wardrobe was crammed into one corner, spilling clothes through its gaping aperture. Every draw was open with assorted garments tumbling out onto the floor. The only thing hanging in the wardrobe, Kaiba noticed through the open door, was an old but carefully conserved green leather jacket.

An old television with a Playstation lay at the foot of Joey's bed, propped up on a sturdy box: a makeshift shelf. There was also a small, bare desk and a chair, on which lay Kaiba's clothes.

Kaiba sat up carefully and looked to his sleeping partner. Joey was coiled away from him, facing the wall, the arm he laid on flung above his head. His hair was curled and matted from sleep and he snored gently.

From outside, the neighbours' chickens cackled incessantly.

Kaiba rubbed the sleep away from his face, trying to arrange his thoughts. He slipped out of the bed and gathered his clothes up, shrugging them on as quietly as possible. From there he ducked out of the bedroom, tidying his hair, in his search for some coffee. Joey did not so much as stir.

Kaiba's feet made no noise on the coarse carpet and, as he walked past, he threw a sideways glance to Téa's bedroom door. It was ajar. There was no movement inside.

In the kitchen, he began to help himself to a mug and a generous helping of sugar. The kettle was still steaming, and as he pressed a hand to test it, he heard the squeak of a window being closed coming from the flat proper. Not one to skulk and hide, Kaiba squared his shoulders and walked with deliberation into the living room.

Téa had her back to him and so he cleared his throat so as not to startle her.

"Ahem," he said. She jumped. Oh well. "Good morning."

"Kaiba?" She looked stunned. The mug of tea in her hand was in danger of being dropped to the floor. "What…? How did you…? Why…?"

She trailed off. Kaiba shifted his stance to what he hoped was a more neutral one, searching for something to lean on to hide his fidgeting limbs but there was nothing. "I saw Wheeler last night," he offered feebly.

"I guessed," she said, looking at the bed, then back at her unorthodox houseguest. "Did you stay the night?"

Kaiba raised an eyebrow. Swallowing a sarcastic remark, he simply said, "Yes."

"In… here?"

He could lie. She looked like she wanted a lie.

"Erm. No."

"I need to sit down."

She did so, shaking her head, mouth still agape. She put the tea down finally, clearly too distracted to drink it now. Kaiba had no words to offer so he remained silent. There were questions burning in the air, he knew, but he resolved to only answer the necessary ones and avoid the rest. Instead, Téa surprised him by saying,

"So do you want some breakfast, or…?"

"I started making a coffee," he interjected, not rudely. "I always do."

"I'm sorry," she said, standing, "I don't mean to be rude, Seto. This is very strange. I haven't seen you in such a long time, I'm just surprised. It's been, like, three years?"

"I presume so."

"Hm. Well, it's good to see you." She finally smiled. "I am serious about the breakfast, though, if you're hungry. There's cereal and I think Joey bought bacon yesterday."

"Yes, he was quite vocal about it," Kaiba said with an embarrassed smirk.

"Right," Téa laughed. "Um, I have to get to class, but please help yourself to anything you want in the kitchen. I like your car by the way."

"Thank you," he said with a small nod of his head.

She scooted past him and made a show of walking to her bedroom door. When he was safely in the kitchen and she heard the chink of a spoon against a china cup, she made a beeline for Joey's bedroom.

Barging in without knocking, she quietly clicked the door shut behind her and dragged Joey's unconscious carcass around with a great heave of both arms.

"Joey," she hissed, shaking him. "Wake up, you doofus, you gotta explain what is going on here."

"What?" he grumbled, flinging an arm out of her grip and covering his head with it. "What are you on about, woman?"

"Don't call me that," she hissed. "Kaiba's in the kitchen. What _happened_ last night?"

With what looked like great effort, Joey sat up, blinking blearily and rubbing sleep from his eyes. Téa clambered onto the sheets and was staring at him intently.

"I don't know," Joey began, with a huge yawn. "He was at the restaurant when I finished work. Said he asked Tristan where I was and stopped by there before jetting back to Domino. But other than that I don't know jack shit about what he's doing here. We went to the pub. Came back, ate crumpets." He grimaced. "Oh, yeah, sorry about the cigarettes." Téa waved her hand: it's nothing, get to the point. "And fell asleep."

"That's it?" she demanded. Then she dropped her voice to a ragged whisper. "Joey, he stayed in your _room_."

"Uh…" Joey looked at the crumpled bedsheets. "Oh…"

When he looked back at Téa his ears were a brilliant scarlet and his lips were pressed into a hard line of abasement.

"Oh my God." Téa's hands flew to her mouth as she jumped up. "Joey, _what-"_

" _Dude, shh_!" Joey waved his arms and gestured erratically in the direction of the kitchen. "It's not a big deal, I come back with people all the time."

"Yeah, but not _Kaiba_ ," she said, still aghast. "What the… I thought you hated his guts?"

"I did, but whatever. It's been so long now, and the guy came toting a flag of friendship so I got caught up." Joey flung back the covers, hunting for his underpants. Téa huffed embarrassedly and turned her back. "Look, I ain't saying it was smart, but I was hammered and he looked hot." Téa flapped her arms once in exasperation.

"I do not get you," she said. Fed up with him hunting naked around her for his underpants, she grabbed them by two fingers from under the desk where she had spotted them ages ago and thrust them at him. "I can't believe this at _all._ I thought you were still moping about Mai."

"Dude, it's really not that big of a-"

The door suddenly opened. Téa swung around in shock and tried to look as though she had wandered in there by accident. Joey hoisted his underpants up so fast he gave himself a wedgie. Kaiba blinked in the doorway holding two steaming mugs, his elbow on the handle.

Téa squeaked out something about being late and dashed past him, throwing Joey a 'we-will-talk-about-this-later' look over her shoulder. Kaiba came in and closed the door.

"Was I interrupting?" he said, motioning over his shoulder.

"Nah, she was just being a nuisance," said Joey, grinning. He readjusted his underwear and sank onto the bed. Kaiba came and joined him.

"Do you get naked in front of all of your friends?" Kaiba said offhandedly, passing Joey one of the mugs and taking a sip from his own. Joey just shrugged.

"It's just a body; I don't get the big deal." Besides, he couldn't find his pants.

Kaiba snorted derisively.

"So," said Joey, "did you sleep okay?"

"I did," said Kaiba, "until the chickens in the garden started squawking this morning."

"Oh, right," Joey laughed, peeking out the curtains. "I forgot about them. Bet that was weird for you."

Kaiba blew on his coffee. "I can't say I expected it."

Silence fell. There was an extraordinary elephant in the room that neither of them were sure would be appropriate to approach directly. Joey, not being the sort to take precautions, decided to take a swing at it.

"So," he began again, "we gonna talk about what happened?"

Kaiba pressed his lips together and peered into his mug. Drinks, he decided, were an excellent way to avoid eye contact. "I didn't really mean to go that far," he admitted.

"No one does," said Joey wisely. "So you're… gay?" He drew out the last word, expecting Kaiba to contradict him, but Kaiba only turned his head away. "Huh. Probably should have guessed."

"Doesn't this make you the same?" Kaiba grunted.

"Not considering how many ladies there's been before you," Joey hooted unashamedly. "But yeah I guess I don't qualify for straight anymore. A bit bent. Slightly bent. Somewhere in the middle? Is that a thing?"

Kaiba shook his head in disbelief. "Yes," he said hoarsely, "it's a thing."

"Cool." Joey downed the rest of his coffee and stood up, stretching. "I'm hungry," he announced. "You wanna eat here? I'm not working today so whatever you want to do is cool with me."

Kaiba looked at him quizzically for so long that Joey started making faces at him until he cracked up. It was a short laugh, more like an elongated snort than anything else, but it seemed to relax him. He passed Joey his mug, which was placed together with its partner on the desk and said,

"Fine, let's go get breakfast."

* * *

A/N: Blasting through the exposition.

Don't forget to drop a follow if you wanna get these chapters as they update. This fic is basically almost finished so I'll be uploading the chapters as I get time to proof-read them. Any comments, questions, thoughts: leave a review! Thanks x


	7. Seeing Clearly (NSFW)

A/N: Warning - NSFW

Song: PERFECT WEATHER TO FLY by Elbow

* * *

To Joey's surprise, Kaiba stuck around all day. They took breakfast in a small café near the town, Kaiba devouring a sequence of coffees that left even Joey feeling jittery just from watching. He got calls often, always saying "Excuse me," in an affable tone and taking it out of earshot. The food was nice, and Kaiba's company was surprisingly enjoyable, but Joey was most excited by the car ride.

"What does this do?" he asked for the umpteenth time, prodding a button on the dashboard. The windscreen wipers beeped and lit up blue, before chugging back and forth across the dry windscreen.

"Please don't do that," said Kaiba again, turning them off. Joey ignored him, searching underseat with his fingers.

"Does this have a – oh, man _yes_." The seat folded back with a soft whir until he was almost horizontal. "Kaiba this is great, you have to try this."

"I'm _driving_."

Later, they picked Téa up from class at her request as she had volunteered to take a prop home for decorating. She clambered into the car with the cardboard curiosity, marvelling at the exquisite interior. Her classmates threw her puzzled looks through the window that she returned with a sheepish smile and a shrug.

At home, Kaiba excused himself to use the lavatory and Téa dragged Joey into the living room where she set the cardboard thing on the table before rounding on him.

"So, what's been going on?" she demanded excitedly.

"Nothin'," said Joey, taken aback. "We've just been hanging out."

"How come you're such good friends all of a sudden?" She folded her arms. "I know I said this to you already but I'm confused. I thought you hated him."

"I did. Look." He ran a hand through his hair. "It's different than before. He's being nice. And you're always telling me I need to make more friends. And let's face it, he's from _home_. I miss everything from there but mostly the guys we used to hang out with, even if it is Kaiba. And," he added, "things were always more interesting when he was around."

Téa sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear with one hand, as she did when she was backing down. "I'm sorry, Joe, I know you're bored here." Joey said nothing. "I just don't want you to end up in a fight or something. I remember what you guys used to be like and you can get so stubborn." She looked at him steadily. "Just promise me you won't get yourself in trouble?"

"Sure, I promise."

As the evening set in, and Joey began to realise that Kaiba had been there for almost a full twenty-four hours, he decided it was time to be frank with him about what he was thinking. They had finished preparing dinner – a beef dish that was one of Joey's favourites – and took to the sofa to eat as Téa's half-painted prop was still occupying the table. They still could not tell what it was but thought that best to keep to themselves.

The three of them settled into the food and some easy conversation. Kaiba, Téa found, was guarded but amiable, and willing to reminisce a little. He talked about his brother briefly and how well he was doing with his schooling, before Joey interjected, tired of the small talk.

"Kaiba," he said. "You been here all day just hanging out. Which, don't get me wrong, has actually been pretty cool. But why do I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me?"

Kaiba chewed quietly before swallowing his mouthful while Téa looked away. "Actually there is," he said.

"I thought so."

Kaiba set aside his meal which was barely touched and reached to the other side of the sofa from which he procured his iconic silver briefcase. Joey wondered when he had snuck that into the house. He propped it up on his lap. It clicked open softly and he turned it to face Joey.

"Cards," Joey breathed.

There they were, brand new, shimmering in their case in absolute pristine condition. Stacks of them. Most he did not recognise but some he had seen in recent magazines. They were new releases, designed to change the card game market and make the duels more challenging. He caught himself reading the descriptions with fascinated eyes, already planning how he would incorporate them in a match of his own. Kaiba brought him back to reality by closing the case.

"I wanted to show you these," he said. "And asked you to duel me with them."

"Woah, you're challenging me?" Joey looked incredulous. "You always said it was a waste of your precious time."

"Are you interested or not?"

Téa, who had been watching this exchange with her fork hanging out of her mouth, suddenly piped up, "But Joey doesn't play anymore."

A silence fell. Kaiba looked as if someone had just told him Santa was real but they had killed him and his corpse was strung up in the next room. "What?"

Joey sighed, throwing Téa an angry look. She blushed and returned to her dinner, trying to pretend she had said nothing at all.

"I know you said your view had changed," said Kaiba quickly. "But you actually don't play?" It was almost funny how utterly confused he looked. Of course, there were many people who had never picked up a card in their life, but Joey Wheeler, who had fought his way tooth and nail into every tournament Kaiba could remember, who had been a finalist: a national icon for underdog duellists, was telling him he no longer played.

Joey sighed again, poking his food, appetite suddenly gone. "I haven't," he said quietly, "not for a long time. I kinda just forgot all about Duel Monsters after we moved. Don't care anymore."

Judging by the dog-eared duelling books littering the shelves, and the monster cards carefully preserved in plastic cases in Joey's room, this was a lie.

"Then," said Kaiba evenly, "would you at least consider coming out of retirement for this match with me now?"

Joey shuffled uncomfortably but the lure of the cards in the case was too strong. "Alright," he said. "Just one."

* * *

"I can't believe it," said Joey again.

"You should be proud," Kaiba replied, shuffling cards.

"I won."

"Don't rub it in."

It was much later in the evening. Téa had made her excuses after the fourth or fifth turn and gone to bed. Neither boy had really noticed, so wrapped up in the game they were. Kaiba, with his chin resting on his laced fingers, looked as if he were watching a silent chess match rather than tiny, colourful, holographic monsters tear each other to shreds on the game board. Joey had been reserved at first, but over time as the game grew in complexity, he had become absorbed, relaxing with his knees far apart and hooting whenever he won a play.

The sun had gone down long ago and neither one of them had made a move to turn the light on. The hallway light was on, and the door open, and so there was just enough to see by. Kaiba could not draw his thoughts away from the previous night.

The new cards had taken some getting used to. Joey had taken several minutes for every one of his turns to understand their use fully, which had dragged the game. Kaiba, of course, was as nonchalant and confident as if it were Snap. For the very first time since duelling Yugi, this had not paid off. Joey had scraped a last-minute win, as he so often used to do.

"Your raw skill is still there," said Kaiba offhandedly, clipping the briefcase shut. "I have only had time to memorise a few of these cards and only two of those came up for me. Frustrating." He did not seem angry. Joey huffed.

"The heart of the cards just wasn't with you," he said, almost bitterly.

Kaiba peered over at him with his piercing blue eyes, his hands frozen on the case. "Nonsense."

"So you say."

Kaiba was surprised at Joey's lack of rhetoric. He set the briefcase on the floor and looked at his opponent. Joey was sprawled across the sofa, hands behind his head, gazing at the dark ceiling.

Why had Joey not argued his case? The heart of the cards had meant everything to him at one time.

Kaiba cleared his throat.

"There actually is one more reason I wanted to find you," he said quietly. Joey twisted his head to look at him steadily from under a raised brow. "I think you won't like it, but I have a proposition for you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes," said Kaiba. "A duel."

Joey scoffed. "Naturally. It's you."

"Your disappearance caused a lot of commotion in the gaming scene," Kaiba continued, unperturbed. "I want to recapture that, create something theatrical. If we do this it will be covered by every major channel in the country."

Joey's expression was beginning to darken. He frowned and looked back at the ceiling. "I think I know what you're asking me."

"Think about it-"

"No," Joey interjected. "I don't wanna get caught up in that stuff anymore."

"All you have to do," said Kaiba, exasperatedly, "is come back and publicly challenge me. Then you'll be set for life. I can get you out of here, back into the public eye. It'll be the biggest event in Domino since Battle City."

"I don't want you to set me up for life," Joey snarled, moving away. "I'm fine here."

"It's an exclusive and unmissable opportunity," Kaiba snarled.

"Yeah, for you. For Kaiba Corp."

Kaiba scowled. "You are stubborn."

"And you're unbelievable. I already told you I'm not going back, it's not me anymore." He paused, his arms folding angrily across his chest. "In fact, the only way you _might_ get me to do this is if you can get Yugi to monitor the match."

"I can't imagine why you need the chief of the dweeb brigade to stand there and hold your hand," spat Kaiba disparagingly. It was the wrong thing to say. Joey leapt to his feet.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand," he bellowed furiously. "Not about _caring_ about someone else's needs. As long as you're set who gives a flying fuck about anyone else, right? Yugi is my best friend and I want his support!"

Kaiba was also on his feet. "Such a good friend that you've made no effort to contact him in weeks?"

Ice cold silence fell. Joey had let the chinks in his armour show and Kaiba had driven a rapier right between the apertures. He was on fire, his eyes boring blazing holes right through to the back of Kaiba's head.

"Fuck you," he thundered. Then he lunged.

Kaiba was hit with the full force of Joey's weight barrelling into him. It sent him toppling backwards over the edge of the sofa and onto the floor. The briefcase crashed onto the floor and popped open. Out spilled the shiny cards, scattering like leaves. Kaiba's head hit a cabinet and stars popped behind his eyes, but Joey would not give him time to nurse it. He was attempting to grab Kaiba by the arms to pin him down, but there was almost no room in the confined space and Kaiba was able to get his elbows up to block him. Meanwhile, he bucked hard at Joey's lower half with his legs, trying to rock him onto his back. Joey was blinded by fury and uncoordinated and Kaiba sustained a series of good blows to Joey's ribs in an effort to twist him over. Joey only managed to get one good punch to Kaiba's chin before he was forced to flip over with a heavy thud and Kaiba had him pinned.

He tried a few times unsuccessfully to unseat Kaiba, but lacked the energy to fight, having spent it all on rage. Panting, they glared at each other, Kaiba pinning Joey's wrists to the carpet with tight fists. Joey fought to writhe free.

"Stop," Kaiba snarled, his jaw burning. "You insufferable mongrel asshole. Stay down."

Joey bucked, but Kaiba remained firm. Eventually Joey's breathing slowed down and the red in front of his eyes ebbed away. In its place was Kaiba, a striking blue bruise blossoming on his chin.

"You deserved that," he said. The anger was gone from his voice. In its place was dejection. "For what you said."

Kaiba pursed his lips, flinching. He took one hand off Joey's wrists to rub his jaw and gingerly felt the back of his head. There would be a lump there tomorrow.

"Sorry," Joey sighed. Kaiba let him sit up, rubbing his bruised ribs. "I hope Téa didn't hear that. I told her we wouldn't fight."

Kaiba rested his weight on his knees, glancing at the briefcase they had knocked over. A handful of the cards were bent or creased badly. He looked back at Joey, still nursing his sore ribs.

"Did something happen?" Kaiba asked quietly. He did not mean the ribs.

"Yeah." Joey curled up, hugging his knees, refusing to look at Kaiba. "Yeah, alright? Something did happen. Yugi left and I tried the whole duelling solo thing, Got my ass beat. A lot. Became something of a joke to people: the great Joey Wheeler on a losing streak. It sucked and I couldn't handle it. Not without Yugi to give me that edge." He caught Kaiba's look. "Fine, think I'm weak, I don't care. When your friends disappear like that and you got no-one, you start to realise you weren't much without them after all." He sighed. "I miss them. I miss them so bad."

To Kaiba's horror, sobs choked Joey and he turned away, hiccoughing into his sleeve. Kaiba was not unsympathetic but he could do little more than fidget.

"You've got Téa," he offered weakly.

"Yeah," said Joey, smearing tears from his eyes. "I do. And I'm grateful. I think about how glad I am she's there almost every day. But it's not the same. And she's busy. Meanwhile, what am I doing? Feeling sorry for myself?"

"Getting by?" Kaiba shrugged.

"Heh. Yeah." The tears had stopped. Joey sniffed loudly and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to crack."

"No. Me neither."

"It's been cool to catch up," Joey added with a weak smile. It faltered when he saw the bruise. "That can't tickle."

"I'll live." Kaiba rose from the floor, and offered an arm to Joey who took it gratefully. He pulled Joey to his feet. Now he was level with Kaiba's chin.

"Damn," he said, reaching out a hand and gingerly tilting it so the mark was bathed in light.

"I've had worse," dismissed Kaiba, and Joey believed him. Kaiba scooped Joey's hand from his face so that he could look at him. Theirs eyes met, lingering. Kaiba's deep and piercing and molten. Joey's strong and earthy; a brutish brown. "You are not nothing without your friends," Kaiba said. "I've seen it."

Joey snickered. "You've had a change of heart then."

"I'm seeing things clearly."

He caught Joey's eye as they flickered up. They were watery but otherwise impassive. Now it was Kaiba who looked away first.

His voice low, he said, "I should go."

"Right." Joey did his best to quell the sudden ache in his chest. "You gotta get back to Domino. Your life is there."

So very tenderly, Kaiba lifted a hand and stroked a tiny strand of hair from Joey's brow. Precise, brief and efficient.

"Something like that," he murmured. And then his hand was gone, closing around the neck of the briefcase as he gathered up the cards and snapped the case shut. He checked his pockets and turned for the door.

It all happened so quickly that Joey, half in a daze, barely had time to react. He took to the hallway at a sprint and caught Kaiba just as he was about to open the front door. He blundered into it, slamming it closed with a hand flat on the wood.

"Wait," he said. "Wait, I-"

But he had no idea what he was going to say. There was no point stopping Kaiba from leaving. They lived in such different worlds now. What little similarities they might have shared were dwindling to nothing. Kaiba was standing tall and stiff, a hand on the door handle. His knuckles were white, his lips pursed in that tight line that meant he was holding something in.

Suddenly words were coming out of Joey's mouth that he did not know were there. "Did you let me win the duel?" he demanded. "Did you go easy on me?"

Kaiba looked mortified. " What? No." His tone was flat, but the emotion in his eyes told Joey that he was not lying.

"Did you think I played badly?" Joey's voice was so low now that Kaiba struggled to hear him.

"No." Same tone, flat and truthful.

Joey looked at the door, and Kaiba's hand still clenched on the handle. "Will you leave…" He swallowed. "Will you leave if I say that I don't want you to?"

"No."

This time there was no flatness in Kaiba's tone. It was a broken negative, dropped from his mouth in a ragged flush of relief. Joey's face heated up as he met Kaiba's stoic gaze and he felt his shoulders roll in a tight shrug. "Stay one more night?"

Kaiba smiled wanly. "You've persuaded me." He dropped the briefcase by the door.

They slipped like cats into the bedroom, snapping the door closed behind them. The hairs on the back of Joey's neck were standing on end as he eyed Kaiba, who stood in the light from the lamp, his hair obscuring his eyes in an impassable barrier. Joey lingered with a nervous hand on the door.

"I am sorry I hurt you," he said, his voice low. They looked at each other, and the butterflies began to twist and dance in Joey's stomach.

"As am I," came the reply. "I applied more force behind the kick than I meant to." His eyes were soft but they had a wild quality to them. Joey stepped away from the door and approached his companion.

"It's just a rib," he said, almost in a whisper, feeling a smile playing on his lips. He drew ever closer until he could feel Kaiba's breath on the bridge of his nose. "I got more."

Kaiba lifted a hand to Joey's chest and slowly ran it down, counting them. "You do," he breathed, making Joey's lashes flicker. He bent lower slowly, hesitating a fraction of an inch before their lips met. Joey's breath hitched.

"Fuck's sake, Kai-" he began but was cut off as Kaiba kissed him.

It was different to the previous night, which had been curious, explorative, dulled by the smog of alcohol. This was fast and loose and hot. A burst of need and animal connection and this time Joey was wide awake for every second.

Kaiba's tongue was hot in his mouth, his fingers running firm trenches in his hair. He tasted peppery, like the beef dish. It was sharp to Joey's tongue but he grew used to it. Kaiba smelled of a sweet cologne, and underneath, a musky odour that filled Joey's nose and drove him near crazy. He felt his hands dragging Kaiba's shirt away from his body and up, up over his head. That scent was all over his chest, stronger now his shirt was off, and Joey pressed himself into it willingly.

He felt Kaiba walking him backwards, still kissing him deeply. He felt his calves hit the edge of the bed and he stopped, putting a hand on Kaiba's shoulder. They gazed at each other, both a little breathless.

"Let's do this properly," Joey said, his voice hoarse. "I want you."

Kaiba felt his lower stomach twist at the words.

"Fine," he said. "Where are they?"

Joey pointed to the open wardrobe. "In there."

Whilst Kaiba went digging, Joey undressed, shucking his t-shirt and dumping it on top of Kaiba's on the floor. He was down to just his underwear when Kaiba returned and his excitement was only too obvious.

Kaiba pressed the condom into Joey's hand and began to kiss him again, cupping his face with both hands, stroking the unkempt stubble on his chin, his fingers so hot that it felt like fire. Then he felt Kaiba's hands on his shoulders and he was pushed down with a little bounce onto the mattress. Before him, Kaiba tossed the lube onto the bed and split open his fly. His tight trousers hit the floor, which he stepped out of without so much as a glance down.

Joey had not even realised he was leaning back with his hand down his boxers until Kaiba ripped it out as he clambered on top. He laughed at the intensity of Kaiba's kisses on his neck, all tongue and teeth. He bit at Kaiba's ear, and felt him shiver. He hardly knew he was being shifted up the mattress, but he sure as hell felt it when Kaiba put a slick hand into his boxers and slipped a cold, wet finger inside him.

Joey shuddered hard, his body convulsing. It felt so foreign and intrusive as it wriggled around inside him, curling into his walls, easing him open. It felt thick, like too much toffee on his tongue, and he closed his eyes tight in an effort not to give himself away.

"Joey?"

It was the first time Joey could remember Kaiba ever using his first name. His eyes snapped open and Kaiba swam into focus above him, blurry around the edges, sweat glistening on his bare shoulders.

"Is it too much?" Kaiba's voice was thick with his weighted breaths. His finger had stopped moving and he was watching Joey with careful, lidded eyes. Joey felt a prodding against his leg. He glanced down and almost blanched. Kaiba was so hard.

"No," Joey breathed, finding his voice in the sea of sensations. "No, keep going."

Without a word, Kaiba resumed that all-consuming probing. This time Joey forced himself to keep his eyes open, grimacing at the strangeness, but locking his gaze with Kaiba which never changed from its steadfast focus. He was like a statue of a man with a heartbeat and gait. But Joey could see the light sheen of sweat on his brow, the way his cold, blue eyes could look when they were heated up by the sordid inferno of sex.

Right now they were dark as lagoons. Who did Kaiba think he was fooling?

Kaiba had been steadily enforcing more fingers, coercing a reluctant body into relaxing, stroking Joey with one hand and widening him with the other. Joey's breathing hitched and he gasped hard when all Kaiba's fingers suddenly withdrew, and the cold crackle of the condom wrapper could be heard being ripped asunder. Kaiba sat back and Joey counted the seconds, rubbing himself so vigorously he might chafe.

Then Kaiba was above him once more, one hand bracing himself beside Joey's head, the other working below. Then, steadily, Joey felt himself be filled.

He tensed hard, finding purchase on Kaiba's slick shoulders. Kaiba whispered to him to relax in a hot breath by his ear. It was softer then he had expected, but it hurt and he was seized with an overwhelming desire to push out, but he mustn't. He must bare it. He can bare it. He has always been good at enduring.

He gritted his teeth and pulled Kaiba down until their lips met. Kaiba was already lost. He kissed Joey with sloppy distraction, the easing-in requiring all of his attention. Then he finally stopped, catching Joey's eye with a look of contented accomplishment. Joey allowed himself one long second to breathe.

Then Kaiba pulled back, and it was intense relief, but then Joey was filled again and quicker this time. He gasped weakly, snapping his head back, searching for purchase on the wall with his hands. It shocked him how cold it was on his hot hands. Above him, Kaiba was quickening, his breath coming out in short bursts like canon fire as he rocked forward. Joey could feel his body loosening. He wriggled into a more comfortable position and felt Kaiba adjust. Then he was thrusting hard and Joey heard a voice moan Kaiba's name from far away and he realised it was his own.

This was apparently too much for Kaiba. He lunged down like a hawk with an animalistic surge, and engulfed Joey's mouth as his thrusting took on a life of its own. Joey cried out, this time in exhilaration, as the feeling of Kaiba pounding into him took over everything he perceived.

"F-fuck."

The word had spluttered out of Kaiba's mouth, drowning Joey in coils of euphoria. He gripped the back of Kaiba's hair with both hands, desperate for a handle. His orgasm was building fast and Kaiba was showing no signs of slowing, his head deep in Joey's neck, biting at whatever salty skin he could find. Somewhere far away he could hear the bed smashing against the wall. Harder and faster still, Joey found that his nails could only dig so deep into Kaiba's marble skin.

Then it came, hard as a wave, rocking his body like a vessel and punching a guttural moan from his belly to his throat. Inside him, he could feel Kaiba pulsing, and his voice was tangled up in Joey's ragged gasps. Joey could pick his name out of the sounds, like notes of an old song.

Then all was still. Their breathing gradually returned to normal, and the black in Joey's vision began to ebb. Once more, it all cleared away for him to find Kaiba above him, panting softly, his eyes hazy. Joey wondered if he knew there was a lopsided smile on his lips.

Kaiba's arms began to tremble, so he lowered himself down, disconnecting slowly. Joey hissed as it all came out, reaching out a hand to rearrange himself and accidentally coating his fingers in lube.

"Bathroom?" offered Kaiba, breathlessly, tossing the used condom in the bin.

"I'll owe you one," said Joey. Kaiba did that snort-laugh and pulled his boxers on before he left the room.

Joey had to lie there on his back alone, his body aching from the exertion but feeling liberated. Kaiba's face kept swimming into his vision, that hazy, lust-filled countenance blooming behind his eyes. A heavy feeling settled deep within that he knew would be hard to shake; it rested in his very bones. He sighed, looking for something to distract himself. His eyes fell on his old Duel Disk, resting alone on a shelf.

He traced it with his eyes. He could remember every rivet, every strap, and how it felt on his arm: heavy and reassuring. He thought about his fight with Kaiba in the living room, the cards scattering across the floor. He thought about how good it had felt when he had come with Kaiba deep inside him.

That night, curled up against Kaiba's warm body, Joey thought about many things.

* * *

Song: Mend (To Fix, To Repair) by Elsaine


	8. Direction

The next morning, Kaiba was gone.

Joey woke up late, twisting his face away from the glare that came through the window. Outside, the chickens were cackling. He sat up, stretched and turned to the empty space next to him in the bed. It was cold, and rumpled, but with a vague air of cleanliness as if someone had attempted to make the bed as best they could. Joey climbed over the space carefully, as if disturbing it would somehow destroy the remains of Kaiba's presence in the house.

He left the bedroom and wandered down the hall to find Téa standing alone in the kitchen, holding a half-finished mug of tea.

"Hey," he said. "No class today?"

"No." Téa pursed her lips and blushed as Joey reached for the bread.

"What?" he said, looking at her. "I know I'm in my boxers but it ain't nothing you haven't seen before."

"Joey!" Téa scolded. "It's not that, it's… erm… well, let's just say that I didn't sleep very well last night." She punctuated the last few words of her sentence with a very poignant stare at Joey, whose turn it was to blush.

"Ooh," he said slowly. "You heard us?"

"Kind of hard not to," she said. "I'd be surprised if the whole building didn't hear you."

"Oh wow." Joey had nothing else to say. He buttered his toast and ate it silently. "That bad, huh?"

"Well, maybe I'm exaggerating," she muttered. "But you _promised_ me you weren't going to fight with him again."

Joey opened his mouth but hesitated. "Oh. Yeah, well," he stammered. "It got… intense."

He thought of Kaiba's ragged breaths burning his ear and blushed.

Téa was oblivious. "So I _heard_."

Joey screwed his face up at her. "Sorry."

"There's something else," she said, moving to one side to reveal a small item on the countertop. "He left you something. He put it in the living room but I thought you'd be more likely to see it here."

Joey put his toast down and approached the parcel. It was a small box, one a collector might keep rare cards inside. In it indeed were cards, stacked neatly and in good condition, save for a few creases. Joey looked closer. To his surprise, they were the ones that he had favoured in the duel he and Kaiba had partaken in the previous night. There was also a piece of paper taped to the box, written on in neat, clerical cursive:

 _Think about it._

Beneath the cards was the newspaper page with Joey's picture. JOEY WHEELER: WHERE IS HE NOW?

Joey glanced up at Téa, who was peering at him pensively, eyebrows raised.

"Well?" she said. "Think about it?"

"He…" Joey stared at the cards. These would cost him a fortune to buy by himself. "He wants me to…"

"To go back?"

Joey stared at her.

"How did you know that?" he spluttered.

"Doesn't take a Sherlock," she said, rolling her eyes. "I didn't put that newspaper article there. He's not subtle."

"No," Joey laughed. "He definitely ain't subtle."

"So what do you think?" she pressed. "You gonna go?"

Joey ran a hand through his hair, fingers tracing the edge of the box of cards with unsteady apprehension, as if it might bite him. "I guess I'll think about it," he said with a shrug, as though nothing could mean less to him. But when Téa turned her back, he slipped the paper with the stiff cursive into his pocket.

* * *

It rained all day. Joey lost himself in his work, forcing a front of cheerful gusto to everyone he spoke to. He did not look toward the car-park, or the thin, grey loneliness of the streetlamp, or the bobbing umbrellas trailing past the windows. He mopped, swept, laid tables, collected orders. Worked up a sweat as if it could somehow wash away the residue excretion from the previous night. When he wiped tables, he pretended not to hear Kaiba's scalding tone echoing in his ears,

" _It's 'clean as a whistle'. You got it wrong."_

Joey's favourite co-worker was in this evening, her blonde hair and warm eyes always a welcome sight. They play-fought as usual, but somehow her flirtatious nudge to his hip did not make him feel flustered the way it used to.

" _It's all tasks with goals in mind."_

Night fell. The gathering darkness extinguished the vegetation that surrounded the restaurant car-park. His co-workers, all but one, said their goodbyes and left for home. Joey waved them away. As he closed up, he found himself turning the sign deliberately slowly, peering through the rain into the light from the street-lamp. Nobody was there.

" _You and Yugi created something."_

He stepped back, gathering his mop to his chest, staring outside. The rain was so soft as it drizzled into the light. It looked like snow. He gazed at the sky. Soon it would be a new year and Joey would still be here, mopping the tiles. He had become stagnant again. How had it taken a visit from Kaiba to realise this?

" _Somehow I'm always thinking about you."_

Kaiba had always been the future. Innovation and change came like breathing to him, and he gave Joey the expensive cards like they were loose pennies. It helped that he was affluent but the gifted cards were more than an idle display of wealth bequeathed to a less fortunate friend. They meant change. Joey could see them now, stacked neatly in rows, new and crisp as untouched snow.

" _We caused a stir."_

He pulled the paper out of his pocket and, unsure why he hadn't before, turned it over.

All it read was,

 _Maybe you'll find what you're looking for._

Joey's hand shook. He felt his fingers slip from the mop and it clattered to the floor. He thumbed the paper, smoothing the creases from a long day in his pocket and read the line over and over.

Joey tore into the office, startling the manager who looked in surprise at his fierce, inexorable certitude.

"Hey," Joey said frantically. "Do we have a directory?"

* * *

The sky was a brilliant sapphire blue. The sun bounced off the glittering sky-high buildings and created fractured reflections their counterparts, dazzling the passers-by, who had clearly overdressed for the weather. They sauntered through the town centre with their hands covering their eyes, coats hanging idly at their sides. Joey shifted his way through the crowd, his head low, wearing a full hood to obscure his features. He threw side-long glances into the shimmering windows to seek his reflection, to check that his duel disk was still concealed beneath his hoody.

He made his way to the spot. The centre was clamouring. Heart pounding erratically in his chest, forced himself to take a deep, belly-filling breath to calm it. With strength anew, he peeked out from under his hood, searching the crowd.

Stood by the promenade, in the shade of an elm tree and surrounded by a spackle of admirers, was Yugi, a bright smile warming his face. Joey felt his heart swell in his chest because he could see Kaiba had kept his promise. Yugi spotted Joey immediately of course, despite his disguise. He looked proud as a lion, and Joey knew that he had made the right choice. Tearing his eyes from his friend's beaming face, he turned to look deeper into the crowd.

At the steps of his own building, flanked by security and a head taller than most in the promenade, Kaiba stood, unmoving, waiting. His long coat billowed out behind him like a cape. Joey found his eyes and they flashed in the light, bluer than the midday sky. His Duel Disk glittered on his arm.

So amidst the lunchtime shoppers: the mothers with their young boys who recognised Joey and pointed, big smiles on their faces, the seasoned old duellists standing in front of card shop windows, their faces alight in realisation, Joey stood straight and proud, facing Kaiba. He could hear the whispers beginning all around like a ripple, electricity of voice flicking between the buildings. He felt ten feet tall. He glanced at Yugi one more time, who gave a warm, encouraging nod.

"Kaiba," Joey bellowed, silencing the crowd. He whipped out his deck and slotted it into the Disk. It clunked and whirred into life on his arm. Across the crowd, Kaiba mirrored him and Joey did not think he had ever looked so powerful.

Joey held the Duel Disk high with one arm, his heart pounding in his chest.

"I challenge you, Kaiba! Right here, to a duel!"

All around him, the crowd began to scream.

* * *

The next day, the headlines read: JOEY WHEELER'S SPECTACULAR RETURN: THE DUEL THAT SHOOK THE CITY!

* * *

Song: _Clear the Area_ by Imogen Heap

* * *

A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read. I know it could be stronger but I quite enjoyed bashing this one out over the course of a few weeks. Having said that, please feel free to critique if something stood out to you - I'm always looking for ways to improve my work, and I do enjoy reviews.

This story actually started as a writing prompt. It was 'through the window' although I couldn't tell you any more than that - it was a long time ago. I wrote the first chapter out way back when, and decided to come back to it now as a new wave of inspiration hit. I got a lot of feelings about this kind of stagnancy and I'll bet Joey could relate.

Thanks again for reading! I got a backlog of Joey/Kaiba stuff that I'm sitting on so if you like what I do then drop me a follow/fave. I'll be continuing _The Great Rescue of Domino City_ at some point (yep, that one is mine. It's still on my old account but will be moved over soon).

Kind of angsted out for now so might drop something fluffier. Who knows?

Take care, darlings x


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